Impromptu Nursing
by TheDarkFlygon
Summary: Kiku and Takeru have planned on seeing each other after weeks and months of not doing so because of the distance. There is, however, kind of a knack with it: he doesn't show up at their meeting point. Instead, she goes to his place and decides that he needs to be taken care of instead of apologizing to her.


Winter break's cold winds blows through Den City as Kiku steps down from her train. Still very little used to the city's busier atmosphere compared to her countryside hometown, she made sure to plan where she had to meet up with Takeru: a park downtown, in front of a hotdog truck named Café Nagi. He also accompanied the explanation with a picture of some of his friends from the city: on it, Takeru was smiling, arm wrapped around the shoulder of a blue-haired boy around their age named Yusaku. Right behind them was an older, purple-haired man named Kusanagi who couldn't be that much older than them.

Takeru has almost insisted for her to meet them and not just with him. He has told her countless stories about them, how they had all met. His eyes were shimmering whenever he talked about Aoi's exploits, how they saved Miyu, how Yusaku was a great friend to have, how Kusanagi's advice was either fantastic or hilariously terrible, and then there was this little guy in his Duel Disk that'd say something witty and she'd giggle. He was so excited for it, how could she not be as excited herself?

And then it turns out he wasn't at their meeting point.

She does see Yusaku eating a hotdog and Kusanagi asking what she wants to get for herself, but there is no Takeru to be seen. She has to apologize: she's sorry, she isn't here to order anything. At first, the man looks confused, and she wonders if she hasn't stumbled upon very coincidental identical people. That would be very unfortunate, because she'd have bothered people who have nothing to do with whomever she is searching for. Soon after, however, he remembers what Takeru has told him and greets her with a great smile.

"Oh, you're Takeru's childhood friend, ain't ya? Sorry to tell ya this, but he isn't here today!"

The astonishment is full on her part.

"Ex… Excuse me?"

"Yeah, he just… didn't come here, for some reason… He isn't responding to neither Yusaku or me."

"Oh, I see…"

Kusanagi seems down from having to tell her this as her mind starts racing. If Takeru isn't here, it may be because he's slipping back into his shut-un lifestyle, and she doesn't want that to happen again. This is bad…

She's starting to panic when the hotdog seller's voice breaks her away from her thoughts and brings her back to reality.

"Hey, I've got an idea! Why don't you go pay him a visit? I'm sure he'd be very happy to see ya!"

"Ah, I'd love to, but I don't know where Takeru lives here. He hasn't given me his address…"

"That's nothing! Gimme two sec', I'm gonna grab ya a piece of paper and write it there, you can use your phone's GPS to get there! Don't forget to give us some news when you'll be there, okay?"

Kusanagi doesn't fail to deliver. Barely minutes later, she's back on her feet, phone in one and the piece of paper in the other in case her map app bugs on her and she has to input the address again. What a resourceful man… She can perfectly see why Takeru was so happy to introduce him to her. Yusaku didn't say much, but his little thumb-up to her was very charming to see anyway. They do seem like very nice people, she's glad Takeru is their friend, that he can count on them when he'd be otherwise isolated in a busy, bustling city. It means he has people to rely on whenever he needs help.

On the other hand, Kiku feels a great deal of anxiety when she notices Takeru still isn't responding to her text messages. She has attempted to call him several times since arriving in Den City, sometimes even if just to ask where to go (and have an excuse to hear his voice yet again, goodness she loves hearing his voice so much), but he has never picked up either. At first, she thought he was busy with his friends at the café, and considering how forgetful he was, it was totally plausible. However, knowing he wasn't there and has never been, she felt shivers going down her spine. It sounds like an ominous recipe for disaster, if you ask her.

She clutches her phone in her hands whenever she isn't looking at map instructions, hoping it's just because he's too busy and is late, but the worried glance Yusaku and Kusanagi exchanged earlier didn't indicate it was any better than that. Maybe he'll call her back or respond to her message, so she keeps the vibrator turned on.

 _Please be alright, Takeru_ , she often finds herself whispering under her breath as to feel less alone.

After feels like too much time spent in unknown streets, she finally finds the apartment complex where Takeru lives. Her phone not being able to track his exact position down, she instead relies on instincts and following number logic. His mailbox seems to indicate a floor and a flat number: that hads to be where she's headed. Even climbing the stairs, as the elevator is broken and out of commission as a result, doesn't feel like a chore and more like a time loss. She senses that something's wrong, a feeling that is fogging her mind to the point all she can think about is reaching his flat and know what was wrong. Once facing the door, which she almost misses because her attention has been hindered, her hit isn't a miss: his name is indeed on the small nameplate next to the door and right over the ringbill.

There is no immediate response, and she's very much tempted to ring again, until the door opens and she gets faced by her precious Takeru and his… sickly appearance, to say the least.

She has known him for long enough to know it when his skin is paler, and even then, it's obvious enough for anyone to see it. A thick red hue covers his otherwise cadaveric face, his glasses are covered in fog (she's surprised he's even wearing those…) and there are deep dark rings under his eyes. Sweat is pearling down his temples and his half-opened pyjama top can only mean he's feeling very hot in early spring.

"Ah, h-hi, Kiku…" he exhales as he realizes it's her, a tiny smile appearing on his face.

"Takeru, are you okay?" she immediately asks, not waiting for any answer. "You look terrible!"

He looks on the side, embarrassed, and coughs in his elbow.

"C'mon in… Sorry, I slept through my alarm and…"

"It's all fine, don't worry, let's get you to bed again," she puts her hands on his shoulders and tries to get him to his room by relying on her instincts alone, but in the end, he still indicates her where to go. The flat itself is small, truly sized for one person, so it doesn't take her more than a few coughs from him too much to find the bedroom.

Once she has made sure Takeru was back in bed and propped against pillows, she noticed a little red creature rising from his Duel Disk. It soon disappears back into it, however, and she is left wondering if it was her or it was real. Oh well, it's not important.

"Have you eaten something yet?" she asks as she mentally makes a list of what she could have to be going out to buy.

"Well, not really, I just got out of bed… And Flame can't make breakfast…"

Oh, so this was probably the little guy inside his Duel Disk! Takeru has described Flame as before!

"I'll make you something with what you have then, okay? Your grandparents once told me about what they'd make for you when you were sick!"

She ran to the kitchen, which seems to be a hybrid with the theorical dining room, and takes a look through the fridge and other places to find a way to make something quickly. She settles for a cup of honey milk, not too big in case he isn't hungry and warm enough to feel good on the throat, and a moderate bowl of oatmeal. She doesn't really know why he had this in here, but she's grateful for it: it'll be just fine for her sick friend. There is no proper tray to put these on: instead, she just uses something similar found nearby. She isn't sure what it is, but it can hold a bowl, a mug and the pills she found in his pharmacy.

Takeru gives her a smile as she puts it on his lap, making sure it isn't burning to hold.

"Thank you very much, but you really didn't have to…" he tells her, but she dismisses it quickly.

"Who else was going to take care of you? Your friends had no idea you were missing because you were sick… You should tell them, so they can take care of you when I'll be back in our hometown…"

He looks at the red mug with blue stripes, holds it in his hands and, after taking a sip, looks back at her and smiles again.

"You remember this mug, Kiku?"

"Of course I do! It's the one I gave you before you left for Den City!"

Ah, she's so proud of him too for moving on from the Incident and rebuilding himself!

This is only for her to get restless again.

"Wait, Takeru, I don't think you have medicine…"

"I don't think it's much more than a cold… Plus, I'm not gonna make you pay for this, seriously, Kiku…"

"I was only able to find fever reducers, but maybe you want cough pills?"

"I'll be fine, I promise…"

She stares at him with the intensity of a thousand doctors and the legendary force of a hundred grandma's remedies.

"You're really sure about that? I saw a convenience store and a pharmacy around the corner, they're not too far for me to get there…"

The little laugh she hears from Takeru, slightly soured down by his congested throat but still adorable to hear, almost innocent. She puts a hand on his forehead meanwhile, and sure enough, he has a fever running. It doesn't seem to bad, however, so she just quickly grabs a washcloth in his bathroom (which is right next to the bedroom, how convenient). Once filled with cold water, she can go back to the bedroom and put it on his forehead.

"Ah, that's annoying… I'll have to pay you back again for this too…"

She giggles.

"You don't owe me anything, silly! I'm glad to make sure you'll be fine!"

"Can I ask you a last favour, Kiku…?"

His voice sounds more hesitant. Is there something wrong?

"Of course you can."

"Can you stay with me for the day? Flame is a nice company to have, but you're even better to have around…"

Her heart skips a beat and her cheeks heat up.

"I'll stay here as long as I can then!"

As if synchronized, they take each other's hand in theirs, fingers sometimes detaching so they can do other stuff on the side, like daling with the tray. They, however, enlace each other almost right afterwards, and she cannot help but feel like a guardian angel at the moment.

Takeru's grandparents have told her before she was his guardian angel, after all, but never had she pictured that idea so much than now.


End file.
